Sorry gang. I neglected to mention in the promotion of Amazin’ Tuesday that the Mets tend to lose on Amazin’ Tuesday. Well, they didn’t lose in March, because the season hadn’t started yet, but otherwise, there’s reading, there’s pizza, there’s Met camaraderie like you wouldn’t believe every time we hold one of these things…but there’s also a loss.
It’s the opposite of me at Citi Field wherein I go to a Mets game and the Mets almost always win. On these Tuesdays, I attempt to read aloud about the Mets during a Mets game, and they always, always lose.
The Mets are 0-5 on Amazin’ Tuesdays. I fear it’s a trend. Didn’t seem like such a big deal in 2009 when the entire season was a total loss, but I hate having potentially karmically contributed to the recellarization of the 2010 club…though I’m not taking the heat for this one alone. I’m not the one who couldn’t deliver Luis Castillo from third with one out against Billy Wagner in the top of the ninth to obtain a lead, and I’m not the one who couldn’t throw a chopped baseball properly to first base to stave off a loss.
The one behind both of those misfortunes was David Wright, who should have enough goodwill accumulated in the Met bank to allow him a doubly bad ninth inning and maybe even another batch of strikeouts. But we’re a last place team again, David Wright fanned three times in Atlanta and goodwill’s in short supply. As we speak, Steve Somers’ callers are proposing trades whose core principle is let’s exchange David Wright for a starting pitcher. This, mind you, is happening after midnight. So don’t blame Amazin’ Tuesday for Anxiety-Riddled Wednesday.
Tuesday was Amazin’ as long as Amazin’ Tuesday lasted. The Grand Central version of Two Boots was ideally situated — I ♥ Grand Central Terminal as I ♥ few public spaces in New York City. The only thing we were missing as we shared our Metsian testimony (besides utterly optimal acoustics) was a dead-on view of the game. The TV was at the bar and our little Speakers’ Corner was set away from it. It became quite low-tech in our physical niche when we learned nobody’s digital devices could find enough of a signal to click up a score. Hence, we had to do stay informed the old-fashioned way, calling out toward the bar for periodic help:
“HEY! WHAT’S THE SCORE?”
Semi-accurate word would filter back to us from time to time. We knew the Mets had tied the Braves 2-2 in the fifth. We knew Jeff Francoeur had homered. We thought (or maybe it was just me) that Frenchy’s homer was a two-run job, but it was a solo shot, matching Ike Davis’s from earlier in the same inning. Didn’t matter. 2-2 is 2-2. We divined Johan was doing his thing, keeping it 2-2 for a long while.
Yet based on precedent, I sensed it wasn’t going to end well at Grand Central via Turner Field. It never does for the Mets on the road when we do these things while they’re away. The game screeched to an unsatisfying halt while I was on the Long Island Rail Road, David throwing away Melky Cabrera’s chopper, Brent Clevlen scampering home with the losing run. That much I heard live. The part where David didn’t drive home Castillo and struck out three times I learned during the recap.
The recap’s never happy in the aftermath of Amazin’ Tuesday, save for wrapping up Amazin’ Tuesday itself. Amazin’ Tuesday is always great fun. It was great fun to hear from Taryn “Coop” Cooper as she brought My Summer Family to life. It was great fun to get a dose of Cardboard Gods spirituality from Josh Wilker (a Red Sox fan who possesses the soul of a true Metophile). I always enjoy co-hosting these events with MBTN’s Jon Springer, and I really like when the “official” festivities begin to break up and I get to acquaint and reacquaint with other Mets fans who are kind enough to drop by. I met one guy, Frank from Connecticut, who said he’s surrounded by Red Sox and Yankees fans all day long, making a night like Amazin’ Tuesday a revelation for him. He had no idea there were so many people like us.
There are. And we’re all a little miserable right now.
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Remember Dale Murphy being over-matched at the end of his career? . . . I hate to say it, but that’s what D-Wright looks like lately
Washed up at the age of 27? Physically, no. Skills, not really. Confidence, yes, at least for the moment.
I said “lately” . . . – I do not believe that D-Wright is washed up, but until he comes out of this funk and stops being over powered by hittable fastballs the comparison with Dale Murphy is apt as he continues to be over-matched at the plate – everyone watching knew Wags was gonna challenge him with the heat on that pitch, and everyone just as well knew that David would miss it . . . he’s all messed up mentally and mechanically and clearly Hojo is of little assistance.
I’m not miserable – I enjoyed seeing you and the rest of the gang last night.
Bad game, but good times!
It’s always a good time at Amazin’ Tuesdays. Even when the Mets lose. It’s being in the company of Mets fans that makes it work. Especially when it’s some of the most well read and well written fans, and we aren’t distracted by each swing and miss on the TV.
I think David Wright is probably a fine young man. I know he is a fine ballplayer, but I think he lacks that “thing” you need to excel in New York City. Part of it is brains, but really it is something else. It is time to move David Wright…it is a move that will benefit both David and the Mets. He could win an MVP award in Tampa Bay or Kansas City. Not in NYC. How about Wright AND Reyes (another problem) for Hanley?
I’ve always been one of those people who has grimaced every time someone calls up WFAN and demands a trade for a key player with his entire career ahead of him after they have a bad week. (I’m personally waiting for the first “Ike Davis is a flash in the pan” call.) But I find it sad to say that this particular horse might have some legs. As much as I love Wright, and understand that he is still the same player with the same potential and talent he had a few years ago, the systemic problems that he’s been having the last few years may point to a larger problem. Maybe it is the pressure of being looked to as a team leader, maybe it is just the tension of being a big-name player in NY, maybe he has Weaver’s Disease, but something is just not right (if you’ll pardon the pun).
IINM, Piazza was only 2 years older than D-Wright currently (29 vs 27) when he came to NY and assumed the mantle of being the “face of the franchise” . . . although Piazza struggled a bit initially, he surely grew into filling out the role – anyone envision D-Wright’s shoulders getting any broader in the next few years?
Of course, Mikey P may well have been juicing.
David Wright is reminding me more and more of HoJo, who put up 3-4 rock-solid seasons then just seemingly disappeared all at once. Of course David has a luxury that HoJo never had…a real every-day position to play. It’s a real puzzler, I certainly hope getting Wright (and Jose too) straightened out is a priority within the organization, they’re both too young to just give up on IMO.
Of course, HoJo wasn’t saddled with HoJo as a hitting coach.
Considering that my guys tempted fate twice against The Scum, and only got away with it once, I should temper my words about how the Mets blew it last night, but…
Greg, if you want the Mets to win, and something you does seems to coincide with them losing, I think it falls under the category of, “Doctor! Doctor! It hurts when I do this!” So don’t do that!
After Castillo was on second with nobody out I grimaced when Jerry Manuel sent up the .173 hitting Matthews to bunt the runner to third.
While that’s going by the book, the next step, that of relying on David to at least produce a productive out (rather than his usual wiff) was a poor strategic move. With David striking out once every three plate appearances, the odds would have been better by either letting Carter take a swing against Wagner (even though a lefty) or pinch hit with the switch hitting Alex Cora (even with his .232 average) or the left-handed hitting Tatis (even with his worse .216 BA). Knowing Ike Davis would still get a chance with two outs was not worth the move.
I’m not on the “fire Jerry” bandwagon because he can’t be responsible for sloppy play by his star third baseman but to manage the situation which absolutely depends upon Wright putting good wood on the ball is enough to justify his replacement.
i don’t understand the so-called book on this. you had a runner on second with no outs. what possible advantage is there in giving up an out when the runner is already in scoring position? (unless you think the tradeoff of a sac bunt for the possibility of another ball getting away from the catcher is worth it. i don’t.)
to make matters worse, you’re deliberately setting up a sacfly situation for a batter who has demonstrated over the past, what, two weeks? that he cannot reliably make contact.
i’m from the earl weaver school generally — you are given 27 outs, do not deliberately give any away. but even if i wasn’t, last night’s situation called for some extra swings at the plate, not fewer.
Is smoking mandatory at the Earl Weaver School? Is Don Stanhouse a guest lecturer? If he is, does the cost of tuition go up because it will require another full pack of cigarettes to get through class?
my thesis, “defense, pitching and the three-run homer,” won the palmer-powell award at graduation: two cartons of lucky strikes. unfiltered, natch.
Smoke ’em if ya got ’em!
Fire HoJo
I know it’s not polite to complain about a free event..but Two Boots at the Grand Central Terminal was a terrible place for this kind of event. It seemed very disorganized, and unless you were one of the speakers or their friends, you were left looking for a spot to sit. If you didn’t get a seat, you were jostled around by the waitstaff, bartender and patrons who had to make their way by you. That’s not their fault, the space was tiny. It felt thrown together, without any cohesive idea as to how to fit people in there.
They should’ve reserved that whole back section. People who were just eating there had a better view than people who wanted to see/hear the writers. If you weren’t in that back section, those speaking were competing with the bar crowd, the bartender, the staff and other patrons for noise.
As someone eagering anticipating this event, it was quite disappointing.
Step 1 – Fire Omar and bring back Davey Johnson as head of baseball operations with Ricci reporting to Davey.
Step 1A – Fire Jerry and promote Wally Backman.
Step 1B – Last but not least, Fred strips Jeffy-Boy from having anything to do with baseball personnel matters.
“Of course, HoJo wasn’t saddled with HoJo as a hitting coach.”
Now THAT was funny!